Freedom of Information Act

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Chris Bishop

Guest
FOI is becoming more and more important in my day job, has anyone else used it to find things out..?

I ask because I'm researching drought plans for a story, has anyone used it to look up things like abstraction licences for rivers etc..?

Just curious, if you have please e-mail me.
 
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Tony Rocca

Guest
Chris,
All that sort of information is public register info from the EA but not because of the FOI. There is other legislation to do with Environmental info but I just forget its name at the moment.
 
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Phil Hackett Manchester Granitewith Pride

Guest
Yes Chris I wrote quite a long Synopsis on it last year, and more to the point how to use it.

The Envo info Tony can't remember is the
Environmental Information regulations 2004.

Which came into force on the 1st of Jan 2005 along with the FoI.

If its Envo info you want you use the EIR to get it. None Envo info and you use the FoI.
 
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The Monk

Guest
Yes I`m aware of it Chris, but never actually used it, indeed I went on a short course about it at work, it does have certain restrictions on the type of information written into the Act
 
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Mike Parker (TWIT WC & Chain)

Guest
There is information and there is information! You pays your money and you get what 'they' want to know they have, if you know what i mean.

Full disclosure? "Ooops I didn't know you wanted that as well. You see its filed under a different database"

Am I a cynical bar steward or what?
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
I'm struck by the fact you can obtain quite complex stuff under FOI but as soon as you move into the environmental category, you have to pay for it.

I use it all the time in my work but wonder whether its spirit is really working.

One regular poster in these forums suggests the EA is "secretive" about freely-available accounts they publish every year.
 
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Phil Hackett Manchester Granitewith Pride

Guest
Chris the rule for charges under FoI and EIR are the same. So I'm puzzled by your comment?

Here's a wheeze, ask them for it electronically, they can?t do a calculation for it, and as all minutes or the written word are done on computer and stored in a filing system on a computer, all they have to do is download the file to you. :0)

If they say they?ll have to charge you for the time it takes someone to find the files on computer, suggest that they are incompetent at keeping filing systems and you believe their excuse to be a withholding tactic.

And you?ll now consider making a complaint to the IC.
Generally works, and an e-mail with an attachment pops into you inbox within two weeks.
 
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Phil Hackett Manchester Granitewith Pride

Guest
Apologies Chris had a look on the Campaign for Freedom of Information site and the rule on charges are different. No longer puzzled.
CFI highlight the charges as a problem and an obstacle to further openness in the envo field.

Whitehall are looking at increasing all charges for all info, so the act must be having an impact on areas the state wishes to keep secrete.

The information Tribunal has heard its first 3 cases and made inroads into what were thought to be exemptions.

Report makes interesting reading.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
I think it's more a time thing Phil. What's happening is journalists and environmental groups are starting to pool info on requests and responses, which is greatly increasing the numbrs going in and I assume the time spent dealing with it.

I had an interesting response when I tried to get background info on a water firm's drought plan.

They sent me the plan but refused to supply any e-mails or correspondance about it as internal correspondance is exempt from the Environmental Info Act.

It's not exempt under FOI.

The correspondance is obviously the real meat in any story, as it shows how they arrived at conslusions regarding the states of rivers and how where trigger points for things like hosepipe bans and limiting abstraction are.

I want to find one river and plot the impact of drought on it.
 
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